So I Think You've Got the Wrong Number
by WatteauYouDoing
Summary: You're a magician, and a human one, besides, so the world works a lot differently for you. So differently, in fact, that after a particularly odd phone call, you end up deciding to do the impossible - saving a man who has been cast out of reality itself. You'll do it because you can. You'll do it because he needs you. And - maybe, you'll do it to be a hero. (ReaderxGaster)
1. But We Can Talk for a Bit Anyway

((So, I'm cross posting this monstrosity from Ao3, and tbh I suggest you go look at it there because it's illustrated!

archiveofourown works/5302727/chapters/12242132

This is an Undertale AU that explores what human magic would be like. It's influenced by things like the Dresden Files and Bloodborne. Please, enjoy the read! My tumblr is glitterbark, and it's got fanart for this and various other bits of writing. Check the thaumatale tag!))

When the phone rang, an effervescent bubble of relief filled you - that'd been exactly what you'd been praying for. The day was hot; warm, honey sunlight streamed in relentlessly through window of your little shop, casually illuminating languid clouds of dust motes. The swarm of books coating the shelves around you did little to diffuse the heat; in fact, mixed with the gooey patches of light, the overall effect was a sweltering humdrum. The air-conditioning had broken long ago, and despite your best efforts, it refused to stay fixed. The only thing cooling your little register was the tacky pink box fan mounted on the counter behind you, whose life-giving air you'd been leaning back into while contemplating your utter boredom. Calling the day slow would be an understatement; in fact, you'd only had three customers so far, and they'd all been dreadfully mundane. One had been looking for some object of childish nostalgia, the other had brought a box of books for you pick through and price. The third had gone on and on about the magic cheese he'd brought you, which you'd presumed filled the contents of the rottenly odored paper bag contaminating his person - and... okay, to be fair, it was amusing, but the entire encounter only filled thirty minutes of your day. All a bit peculiar, really, you'd think your line of employment would bring some more entertaining characters into your shop.

To say you worked in a bookstore would be a bit of a… misrepresentation of the truth, but that was really your whole life summed up, wasn't it? Any accurate explanation of your character would be quite long winded indeed, with a lot of interesting pauses and emphatic gestures. Perhaps a few diagrams, a potpourri of metaphors, and, dare I say, the phrase, "Look, don't think about it, it's magic, alright?"

Because that was the crux of the issue - that you were a magician, and a human one, besides, which came with a cartload of metaphysical bullshit. Magic stewed in your soul like a fluttering, golden bird inside the iron cage of your body. Except, sometimes the bird fell asleep, dreaming itself outside of that prison, and, because the bird was gold, its dreams were real. See? Figurative language already. What a lot of garbage.

Monster magic made more sense, and it'd been interesting - to say the least - to encounter beings that didn't need lies and deception and miracles, like you. They lived it, breathed it, used it in their everyday lives, relying on it like humans relied on their cars and their cellphones and their _potluck-forsaken air conditioning, dangit._ Due to their bodies seeped in magic, they commanded it freely, but, then again, they didn't have the strength of spirit to blatantly cheat like you, either. Pros and cons, but clementines in a cracker barrel, it was the middle of summer and all you wanted was some climate-control like a normal human being. It sucked that technology hated you.

Anyway. Back to business. As with most trappings of the modern word, half the time, phones didn't actually want to cooperate with you, so you didn't bother with things like "smartphones" and "cellphone plans". Instead, you used prepaid flip phones which - okay, yes, everyone thought you were a drug dealer, but it was better than having a really expensive paperweight. This way, you only had a moderately priced paperweight, that - somehow, you didn't want to question it - worked about fifty percent of the time.

Well. Fifty-percent plus static. Mmmn, good old white noise. "First-Story Books, how can I help you?"

"Hey, Two-Bit," an easy voice crackled through the speaker, and you grinned, knowing things were about to get way more interesting. "Got a sec?"

"I've got an entire day, lay it on me and please make it good, I'm dyin' out here, Pete. Dying. Literally."

"Literally. That sounds like a problem."

You spin in your rolly-chair, because why would you not. "It is. Big problem. Also, that's some demonic screaming you got there, buddy, what're you doing - got a curse? A haunting?"

"Neither, interestingly enough. You'll see when you get here. You are coming, right?"

A brief pop of screaming burst through the phone, which you pulled away from your ear with a wince. You take a moment to reply. "Is the current president Jimmy Carter?"

"...Erm, no."

You huff. "Look, quit it with your logic and governmental history, Gertrude, just… Gimmie. This interference is getting wicked bad, it's probably going to drop soon."

They did, and, soon after you'd received the directions, the interference rose to an unsettling crescendo and cut. What a pain.

You grabbed your things and set on your way.

"Hey, Sarah," you called out, lofting an easy hand as you approached. They turned, looking back at you with a pensive expression before turning to contemplate the park. You settled on the sidewalk beside them, glancing at their profile before facing the same direction, and you noticed it almost immediately. "Woah. This is very…"

"...Oppressive?" They supplied, and you shook your head. A short _tch_ sound split through the air, and the world turned grey, for a moment, pooling in certain areas - like all the color had been bled out of everything and condensed into an erratic collection of dots. After a flicker, everything was back to normal, and you rubbed at your eyes.

"Not quite the word I was looking for, but I guess it works. Any casualties?" You looked around, hands firmly in your pockets. You didn't see any blood or viscera - in fact, the park and the surrounding sidewalks were completely devoid of people.

"No. Interestingly enough, no one seems to acknowledge this park's existence. I've been watching it for… oh, two hours, now, and not a single civilian has even looked at it, much less entered. I asked someone about it, and they acted like I'd suddenly started speaking French. In fact… check your map. Look at this area."

You raised your eyebrows but did as requested, reaching into your shoulder-bag to retrieve the paper map. As antiquated as real, physical maps were these days, they were pretty necessary if you ever got lost. Couldn't rely on cell-phone apps, after all. Lightly, you hummed to yourself as you scanned the roads, and then, you paused, squinting.

"It's… not here," you noted, flicking your gaze back and forth across the area, and then glancing over to the green signs marking the intersection for confirmation.

You needn't have bothered, though, as the wizard beside you nods. "Yeah. I'm sure it was labeled there, once, I remember it pretty clearly. But now? It's like... " Another vicious fizzling sound, and your vision seemed to shift a bit in the grey. It was longer now before things righted themselves. "...the entire area doesn't exist anymore."

"Have you been in?"

"Not yet. This is odd enough that I wanted someone else to know about it first."

"Mm. That why you called me?" you ask as the world turned monochrome again. Odd. It messed up sound a little, too, garbling it like your words were being run through a blender. You couldn't see any birds in the park, either, nor any squirrels, or butterflies, or… anything living. Yet, it didn't feel like a place given to the dead. More like... nothing should exist there at all.

"Partially. I also wanted to see if you could see all this, or if I could just because I have memories here. Perhaps magic allows us to resist the effects of this… anomaly."

"Have you seen any monsters pass by?"

It's your "friend's" turn to squint. "Mmn. Good point. I'm uncertain - but our souls are different, anyway, so it might not matter."

"Well," you shift a little in the heat, shielding your eyes and glancing up at the sky. "Okay. I'll go in, I guess."

"Excuse me?"

You grin at your companion. "Awwh, Jebediah, are you worried? Nah, I mean, one of us has to, unless we want to call in some other people… and that'll just end up with us tittering in a circle like some kind of weird cabal. I am not about that life."

Many-Names shifted a dubious look in your direction. "While you do have a point… do you really want to? This is my territory and, technically, my problem."

 _Tch._ The park has gotten greyer, now, as you've been talking. "Exactly why I'd rather go in. Whatever time-space putzup happened, your memories will keep this place far better anchored than mine."

"That is true," they affirmed in a voice that makes it obvious they'd arrived at the same conclusion as you. The token resistance was just a formality - a polite way of asking you to take care of this without really saying as such. Not that you minded; it sounded kind of fun.

"I'll figure out what's going on. Still, though, you'd better take me to eat something nice after, eh?"

"Hah," they let out a short, mirthless laugh, leaning back on the balls of their feet. "Just for you, Two-Bit. Don't try to fix the problem, okay? Just get some information and come back."

"Right," You cracked your knuckles, the world fizzling around you as you stepped forward. "I'll be relying on you, okay?"

They make a short, noncommittal noise, simply crossing their arms and watching.

You stepped onto the grass, your footfalls completely soundless, like the noise had been stolen or just... turned off. Bizarre. The wind made no noise as it brushed through the trees, and you could hear only the ever-growing static as you ventured deeper into the faded expanse. It was a nice park, with a rather expansive playground that felt _so wrong_ to see empty, given how firmly entrenched in Summer the city was. The assembled oaks cast shadows that looked too deep, too dark, like if you stepped into them, you'd fall into the center of the earth. You looked around, wandering across the park with slow, careful steps.

 _Tcccccch_. A long burst of incoherent shifting roiled through the park and, this time, and it made you nauseous. Head pounding, you had to stop, for a moment, and steel yourself against the overwhelming feeling of disconnect. Briefly, you couldn't quite remember why you were here rather than your sweltering bookstore. A glance back at Many-Names righted you, however.

"Two-Bit! What's happening?" Their voice sounded incredibly distant, like you were hearing it from across a chasm - no, more like it was muffled by something. Had you passed some sort of barrier without realizing it?

You called back, resisting the urge to vomit. "I keep having to tell myself why I'm here. Whatever it is, it's trying to make me forget. Uhh, I don't get the feeling it's sentient, though. Not a spirit, or anything."

They paused to mull over this, then suddenly shouted, "Come back!"

"Why?"

"It's getting worse!"

You shrugged, turning to return, but as you strode past the sandbox, something gave you pause. A soft, cheerful chime emerged from your pocket, and you could feel vibrations shuddering against your leg. Considering the complete silence around you, the sound struck you particularly. You shifted, removing the flip-phone from your pocket and eyeing its screen dubiously. Someone was definitely calling, but not only was a number that you didn't recognize, it was a number that made no sense, being comprised only of sixes.

Many-Names was less inclined to deal with this than you. "I'm serious, get back here! Everything's gone completely grey!" Their voice sounded authoritative rather than concerned; you kind of doubted that they cared intimately about your fate.

A glance around you showed that, yes, they're right, but you were far too curious to stop now. "I've got something!" You flipped the phone open with your thumb and brought it to your ear. Fierce static greeted you, along with a strange, high, flickering sound that occasionally pierced the noise. It kind of reminded you of a dial-up connection. "Y'ello?"

You could almost pick out the sound of someone breathing if you listened really, really intently. Just when it seemed like the call would disconnect without anything being said, a voice emerged from the speakers.

Well. Not quite a voice, rather, a series of hums and clicks and dings that, if you squinted and turned your way of processing noise inside out, formed passable words. _"Who are you?"_

"Complicated question! Most people call me Two-Bit." You looked around as you spoke, trying to note any more changes in your surroundings.

 _"What are you?"_ The voice scratched out, and you couldn't keep down a short laugh. What a loaded question.

"A purveyor of miracles. A wizard." You could see Many-Names getting antsy, their mouth moving like they were shouting at you again. However... you couldn't hear anything. Everything had gone quiet except you and the phone. It was like being underwater.

A staticy pause. _"Where... are you?"_

"Mm. Well, I'm supposed to be in Melbourne Park… but something's gone a little funny with that, you see, it seems to be in the process of ceasing to exist. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" You spoke with casualness that you didn't quite feel, at the moment. If you let yourself act scared, this situation would get out of control very quickly.

" _I'll try to…"_ A violent crackle cut out some of the words. _"...shouldn't be possible..."_

You stared at the ground for a moment. Where were you? What day was it? -No, shit! Pay attention!

"Who are you?"

A pause - and you weren't sure if he was going to reply at first. _"Doctor W. D. Gaster, former royal scientist."_ You could discern a strange warmth in the other being's voice, like saying those words just made him so happy.

"What are you?"

" _Nonexistent,"_ he replied in a somewhat self-derisive tone. Interesting.

"Where are you?"

" _Someplace beyond time and space."_ Fzz. A sprinkle of colored dots spread across your vision, like you'd been staring straight at the sun before looking away. The call was starting to get incoherently garbled again, and you focused, desperately trying to make out the words. _"Ahh, the connection… don't think I..."_

"Do you need help?" you asked. There was no reply, so you repeated louder, "Do you need help!"

" _...please… forget this happened…"_

That sure sounded like I need help to you. And - above all your other traits - you had to admit... that you had a teensy weensy bit of a hero complex.

"Okay! I'm coming for you! Don't do anything, and stay on the line!" You spoke boldly, although you didn't really know what, exactly, you were about to do. That was okay, though; that was basically how magic worked. Okay - time to think. You were in the middle of a time-space anomaly of unknown origins that was currently attempting to remove your location from what you knew as "reality". Easy enough. Stepping into this anomaly allowed someone to contact you, and, given the way this someone spoke, he were likely someone who had also been removed from reality.

So, basically, all you had to do was find him and show him the way home. Great. Easy. Now, how exactly were you going to slip out of reality? You had a really bad feeling about just waiting to disappear naturally. The nebulous _it_ had almost made you forget why you were here a few times, and if you forgot for good, you knew you wouldn't be able to get home again. So. You needed _initiative_.

What you really needed was to find exactly where this W. D. Gaster was - or, rather, a door that could take you straight there, and then back again. Which, now that you thought about it, was doable.

You did have him on the phone, after all, and this was already the site of a large temporal distortion. You just had to believe really, really hard... and maybe everything would be okay.

 _"What do you mean? You can't..."_ Fuzz.

"Keep talking! Tell me about yourself! Indulge me, please!"

" _But…"_

You had to focus. After taking a deep breath, you said, "Just go with it!"

You could see Many-Names gesticulating quite vibrantly in your direction, and you paused to give them a big grin and a thumbs up to show that, yep, no need to worry, you got this. They looked fervently pissed but hey, not your circus, not your monkeys.

That was a lie. This was your circus. These were your monkeys. You'd probably get yelled at for this.

 _"What should I... about?"_

"Anything!" You chirped, looking around. Okay. You needed a doorway, and you were in the middle of a park that had no buildings whatsoever. Plenty of benches, quite a few lovely trees, a nice, wide open space perfect for frisbee... but you needed a door - "Tell me what you like! Tell me what you're scared of! Tell me who you love! I bet that's cute."

 _"Y-you... you ... what?"_

"Talk!" You demanded, eyes focusing on the slide. Oh my god, you were never going to live this down if it didn't work. You sprinted towards it.

 _"Uh, I, I enjoy... reading..."_ Fzzt. _"...before..."_

"Before?" You heaved yourself up the too-small steps, quickly clambering up to the metal platform.

 _"Before this happened to me."_

"What else do you like?" You sat your butt down on the top of the slide, and then reached into your pocket, pulling out your lighter. Idly, you clicked it open as you listened to Gaster's voice, watching the flame - which, interestingly enough, still retained its color.

Being a magician was like being permanently eight and thinking a magical land awaited you through the closet and under the bridge. It was about doing ridiculous things just because you had the determination to do so. It was about miracles, and…

" _Well, ah, I… I like tea, and, ah, my brothers, of course, oh, I… enjoy math - this is all very embarrassing…"_

...occasionally, saving cute people from extradimensional torment.

"Keep talking," you murmured as you closed your eyes. Lighter held close to your chest, you began your slide into the dark. "And believe."

" _...It's very nice to to speak with someone…"_

You focused on the voice. The light went out, then -

\- you were somewhere else. -

"After all this time, it's - ah!"

Your legs slid against the floor, and you landed face-first in an abyss of white.


	2. But, Hey, It Happens to Everyone, Right?

"Oh, oh goodness, are you alright? Please tell me you're alright."

You pushed off the ground - well, rather, the white space that functioned as the ground - with your hands, sitting up and trying to focus on that sound. Voice. Impolite to think of it as just sound, even though it didn't have the trappings of any kind of speech you'd ever heard before. Piecing it together was a trial unto itself, particularly due to the fierce, popping static that overlaid his speech, although, really, he seemed so concerned about your well being that you don't mind the effort.

Oh, right. You looked up.

A nebulous _figure_ loomed over you, body swathed in curling dark - at least, until you got to his face, pure bone white and framed by a cream turtleneck. Altogether a highly disorienting effect, and you had to wince before your eyes could focus properly. Large cracks split down his skull and across his cheek, and one eye looked like it'd been a bit... squashed. You decided not to comment, as that would be super rude, and you were only mildly rude, thank-you-very-much.

The pinpricks of light dancing in his dark eye sockets met your gaze, and his mouth pulled back in an expression you processed as 'worry'. "Are you hurt? Can you stand?"

He extended his hands to you - skeletal fingers spread out, with palms you could see clear through. Ow. You moved to settle your hands into his, accepting the aid, however, the merest brush of your fingertips against his sparked immediate regret.

For a moment, you were not here, not there, but everywhere. For a moment, you felt like you'd been torn to pieces in one singular breath. For a moment, you could see - _something_ bizarre regarding your surroundings and the monster before you, but the entire encounter was too brief for you to tell what, exactly, it was, as immediately the figure - presumably, Doctor Gaster - pulled back away from you with a startled squeak.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I - "

You reached out, firmly securing your hands around his boney fingers. The sensation returned, and it was _excruciating_. Interestingly enough, you couldn't hear the static like this.

"Please let go, please," he struggled, trying desperately to wrench his hands from your grasp. "Why are you doing this? You'll end up like me!" It was a warm series of notes, gentle, and a bit like rubbing a soft, smooth rock with your thumb.

Of course, it currently felt like your head was being caved in by some sort of sickening pressure, so you weren't exactly in the mood to appreciate it. "I won't," you lied smoothly, because really, you had no idea. You felt squeezed between two things, two _concepts_ of existence, and around you could see... flecks and fragments of other places and other times, none of which you recognized. Lurking between these scraps of memory was the deep, pure shadow of metaphysical concept, out of which long, thin spikes emerged, pinning Gaster in place. If you focused on them intently, you could see... - and hear! and smell and taste and touch - other things and other places, all reverberating in your head. Hot damn.

You let go, having seen enough for now, and immediately your body crumpled to the floor. You could hear soft, distressed noises from Dr. Gaster, who bent over your form as much as he was able, considering his... condition. You flopped onto your back and opened your eyes a bit, peeking up at him. "Don't worry, 'm okay. It's just floor time."

You felt like Athena had just crawled out of your head, leaving a gaping hole in her wake. Hurk. With a careful touch, you massaged your temple, processing everything that you'd seen.

"Floor time?" He sounded baffled, which, y'know, how dare he, you were pretty sure he was the most baffling person in the room. Void. Space. Thing.

"What, you've never wanted to just commune with the ground and receive its grand wisdom?" A pause, and Dr. Gaster's confusion only seemed to grow. "That was a joke, by the way. I'm not speaking to the ground. Uh, yet. You certainly do have yourself in a pickle though, don't you?"

"I - hah," he smiled a little, as if amused by the understatement. "Yes, you could say that."

"You're a monster, right? Body made of magic?" You linked your arms behind your head, making a pillow out of them as your stare up at him.

Another nod. Then, he narrowed his non-droopy eye a little, pursing his mouth in a way that appeared quizzical. "Are you... human?"

"Correctamundo." You beamed. "Did you end up like this before the barrier was broken?"

Gaster nodded, and - from his lack of surprise about your question - you could draw some conclusions.

"But you knew it happened. Are you aware of what's happening in the outside world?"

"Sort of. It's, ah, complicated."

You flicked your gaze up and down his form. "Yeah, I'll bet. So, I'm here to help you, but I'm not quite sure what I'm dealing with, yet. Mind... filling me in, I guess? As best as you're able."

"I..." He looked helplessly at his hands, and then at you. "Help me? I... well. Normally, I would assure you that wasn't possible, but, well, you being here shouldn't be possible at all, so..."

You laughed. "It's best to just play along. Believe I can save you, and I'll be able to save you, alright? I just need some help to get it all straight."

Gaster fidgeted. "Goodness, where do I start? This is all very sudden, I hope you realize. I never... thought I'd speak to someone again. I'm a little overwhelmed."

Man. _He_ was overwhelmed. You'd wanted something exciting, but you hadn't quite bargained for this. "Well. You said you were nonexistent over the phone. Let's start there."

He mulled over this for a moment, and then seemed seemed to find his voice. "Very well. Are you familiar with the Core, by chance?"

"No. Sounds a little ominous, though."

"Ha... well, it was my grand design; a way of turning converting geothermal energy into magic, enough magic to power the entire Underground. Huge, and complex... and my crowning achievement, of sorts. And, ah, I fell in."

"...fell in?" You sat up at this, having somewhat recovered your energy. The vicious headache had subsided, at least, although you still felt sick to your stomach.

"I, ah, yes. I fell." Liar, liar! Well. You didn't have time for a complicated tale of intrigue, anyway, you just needed the basics. "And, when I fell, I was... scattered across time and space, and it was like I had never existed at all."

"Scattered," you repeat, thinking of how he was pinned in place. Hmn. "How?"

"My best guess is that the Core turned everything - including the concept of my existence - to pure magical energy, which created an exception that couldn't be handled by any of the main processes of reality. So, my label was delegated to… this, and, in the process, all references to my existence were eliminated."

"Wait, no one can remember you exist?"

"Ah, no." He smiled slightly, in a way that suggested good-humor in the face of abject misery. "It is like the world has gone on without me… and nothing is different for my absence."

You grinned, which, in hindsight, was probably an off putting expression given the situation. Still, this was exactly what you needed, and confirmed some of your suspicions. "Great! I mean, no, that's horrible, I'm sorry, but I think I've figured out how to help you."

"You… what? How?" Disbelief soaked his words. You'd need to change that.

"Okay… explaining this might be hard, since you're one of those science types . So. Let me start with a question. Do you know how to get out of here?"

"No." Of this, he seemed absolutely certain. "I have no idea. How can I place myself back into existence, when the spot designated for me has been… overwritten?"

"A tricky problem," you say as you stand. "Now, let me ask another question. How did you call me?"

He paused, having to take a moment to mull this over - or, perhaps, he's just gathering his words, you weren't certain. "I am… stuck, in this place, by something that I have no name for - like tubes, of a sort. On one end, my consciousness lingers, and on the other, are… memories, places that I am familiar with and can still view. Right before I spoke with you, I felt a new "tube" form, and this was exciting enough that I tried to interact with it… perhaps manifest myself, even. Apparently, that interference was processed as a phone call. And so, I spoke with you." He gave you a sort of jerky half-shrug. "All rather vague, I apologize. I haven't been able to study the phenomenon with much detail."

"No, no, that makes perfect sense. Your personal impressions are the most important thing here. Tubes, eh?"

As you stop to ponder the ramifications of this, he spoke. "Is it alright if I ask you a question, now?"

"Oh? Oh, yeah, shoot, bet you have a million."

"What did you use to get here?"

"Mmn? Oh." You reached into your pocket, pulling out your lighter and waving vaguely with it. "This. When you called me, you formed a connection between us. Imagine it… like you're inviting a friend over for lunch. That "tube" of yours functioned as both the invitation and the destination. So, all I had to do was find a door - since doors are objects of transition - and make the destination "where Gaster is". Except, there weren't any doors, so I used a tunnel and this lighter. See - it's either lit or not, so all I had to do was make the flame represent where I was now, and it being extinguished mean that I'd gone somewhere else. Then, all I had to do was follow the tunnel!"

"In fact!" You continued, gesturing at him with the lighter. "This is step one of getting us home. All I need to do from here is find a symbol of transition, and also figure out how to cure your immobility."

For a moment, Gaster just _gaped_. Your explanation, apparently, did not please him. "What - what. What? That - how does that _work_ , what about your mass? Did you turn your body into pure magic? Did you somehow access the temporal code and - fire doesn't - you can't just - _what about the energy conversion_?"

"Woah! Woah woah, hold up there, friendo, if you think too hard, _you'll_ catch on fire. 'Sides, I'm dumb as a post, throwing around that fancy science junk won't do much good with me." You tried to placate his frustration with an easy smile. "I don't think in those terms. I used magic. You probably shouldn't question it beyond that."

He moved his hands kind of uselessly. "Wh… bu.. but magic has _rules_ \- oh, this is useless. It must work somehow, you just don't understand the principles behind it."

You laughed. Goodness. Just your luck to get one of these types. "Well, you're probably right about that. If you study it long enough, and think hard enough, you might be able to come up with an explanation that fits nicely in with your Scientific Worldview. But you shouldn't."

Somewhat taken off guard, Gaster asked, "Why not?"

"Because you might explain it wonderfully, and in your heart and in your mind, overwrite my Magic Worldview with your Scientific Worldview. So, say that you figure out a way to explain my existence here in a way that's satisfactory to all of your scientific principles. Great. You're satisfied. But _what if_ you figure out that my existence, right here, right now, standing in front of you and speaking to you… is impossible?"

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again, "You're here. It has to be possible."

"Ah-ah! It's only possible because of my Magic Worldview. It's possible because, in my way of doing things, in my way of thinking and understand the world, I've figured out a way to reach you, with hope and magic and determination. But… if you supplant my worldview by finding the "correct answer"? Well. You'll create a paradox. And - as your current state is a testament to - _the system doesn't like paradoxes_." You smiled. "In essence, I'll disappear, having never been able to do this in the first place, because you proved it impossible. Now, let me pose something else to you.

You paused, waiting for his reaction. He stared dumbly at you. Oh well, at least he wasn't protesting. "What if, in your scientific theory, it's impossible to save you? Are you really okay with that? Wouldn't you rather believe in my theory, the Theory of Magic, and be saved?"

"That - that… that… _that can't be right_!" He desperately proclaimed, a final stand against your version of the truth. "That's… that's insane. That sounds insane. Different worldviews? There's - there's just science! There has to be sound, scientific principles behind what you're doing, and _it doesn't matter what happens, I'll find it_ \- "

You giggled behind a hand. "Wowie! It's super clear how you ended up here, now. Didn't you say you had brothers?

Immediately, Gaster deflated, the finger pointing at you lowering. "I - "

Linking your hands behind your back, you twirled lightly. Each word you speak seemed to drive an arrow deeper into his heart. "They've forgotten you, haven't they? No - no… not even reality can completely eliminate love. I'm sure they remember that unconquerable feeling, deep inside their souls. I'm sure it feels unbearably hollow, bearing those scattered remnants with nothing to associate them with. Like… the feeling there should be another place at the dinner table, but not understanding why. Like not being sure why there's an extra, empty room in your house. Like knowing that someone you loved so, so dearly loved a song that just came on the radio, but when you try to think of their name, all you get is… nothing. That sort of thing happened to them, didn't it?"

He was silent, staring at the ground. You twist your body, bending and leaning over so you can see his eyes. Still wearing that ferociously pleasant smile, you asked, "Is that really okay with you?"

"No," he mumbled, body shuddering.

"So," you gently pressed. "Wouldn't you rather accept me for what I am - a wizard, who will bring about a miracle - than continue to exist like this?"

"I - " the misery in his voice stirred some pity in you. It isn't an easy thing to completely abandon your principles, not for anything… even though you assume those principles are what brought him here in the first place. "I… they've… moved on… without me… I've messed up too much."

You stood up straight. "Hey. Look at me."

He does not, so you press once more, "Hey. I mean it."

Reluctantly, Gaster did so, bringing those pricks of light up to your face. You smiled - more sincerely, this time. You're not trying to make him feel like garbage now. Extending a hand out to him, you speak. "There is hope. There'll be sad things in your future, yes, but also wonderfully happy things. There'll be reunions, heartbreaks, laughs and tears, sorrow and - most importantly - love. That's what makes the future so amazing and so terrifying at the same time. But… you can achieve nothing without risk. Magic cannot be brought forth without risk, and life is magic itself. There _is_ a future for you, Doctor Gaster. The world has a place for everyone, and - if it doesn't, for you? _I'll make it_. So, please believe in me, and let me give you back your future."

Black globules spilled out from his eye sockets, and you think they are tears. "I'm… so afraid," he murmured, beginning to reach out for you.

"I'm here," you replied, and you took his boney fingers with one hand. The pain began immediately, crushing you and choking you, but you're expecting it this time. "I'm here."

"I don't understand at all," he said through the tears. "But I want to see Papyrus and Sans, again. I want to be with my little brothers, so, so much."

You linked your fingers through his, and with your other hand, you reached into your bag, fiddling around and pulling out a vial full of a philtre you'd brewed some days prior. "Remember that feeling. It'll take you home." After uncorking it with your teeth, you down it, tasting chamomile and the sun, and then you reach out for one of the pins holding Gaster in place.

As you secure your hand around the spike, you can't restrain a shudder at the intense nausea filling you. Apparently, reaching through time and space was hard on the stomach. You pulled on it sharply, like you're trying to reel in a fish, and lights danced before your eyes like sunspots. God, was this even going to work?

You had to believe.

"What - what are you doing?" he gasped out as you force the spike into him.

"I'm trying to return what was taken," you managed, each word a struggle against the weight of cosmic regulation. "You answered one of my questions wrong."

"Which - " he paused, and you found the end of the line, yanking it towards you with a heavy jerk. "Which one?"

"What are you?" With a trembling arm, you grasped for the endpoint of the line - a gray fragment, an ashen piece of a broken heart. You take it, feeling its warmth in your palm, and push it - along with the last bit of the spike- into Gaster. The pressure lessened, a little. The world quieted. "Because, before me, you exist right now. So, what are you?"

"I don't… goodness, that, that hurts, are you… are you certain this is right?"

You reached for another spike. Another "tube" - hah, what a scientific word.

"Yes. Once, before this, you were a vase." You leaned in. Everything hurt, like it had always hurt and would never stop hurting. "When you shatter a vase, for a time, the vase still exists as a concept - the memory of it being whole. Eventually, that memory fades, and all that remains are shattered pieces, You are that memory, but… what keeps you from fading?" Another fragment returned. Your voice grew weak, but the feeling of wrongness faded as you worked. You just had to keep going.

"I don't… know," he murmured near your ear. He can lean forward more, now that his shoulder had been freed.

"It's the very fragments of your existence, ironically enough, that are keeping you here now. You can't fade while they still exist, but you can't move while they're apart from you. You'll suffer here forever until they're returned. I will return them to you, and make you more than a memory."

He laughed softly, and that warm sound made everything worth it. "That's an awfully complicated way of saying you're putting a vase back together again."

Another. "This is a complicated situation. I'm fixing you, freeing you, and returning something lost to you, all at once"

"I suppose. You're very strange, aren't you?"

"Hey," you protested, the sound drowned by another gasp from Gaster. Some pain was necessary, yes, but the sound still tore at your heart. "You're… the weird one."

He didn't reply, and, at this point, you didn't have the energy to focus on anything but your work. Steady, steady, bit by bit, you reclaimed his fragmented existence, occupying the same space as him in a fragile, tenuous balance. You could feel your knees weakening, your legs trembling, and you're not sure whether or not Gaster realized this or if he simply needed something to hold on to, but he reached out with the hand not occupied by your own, firmly clamping his arm around your back. "Thank you," he breathed out softly, and it took you a moment to remember that this was the first time he'd been able to move in… quite awhile.

The pressure had subsided, and although you could feel the heavy reverberations of pain shaking through your head and trembling down your spine, you could breath now. Glad for this, you reached out for the final pin. This one was different, and you'd saved it for last, simply because you weren't… quite sure what was going to happen when you interacted with it.

It was the one connecting Gaster to Melbourne Park, and - you theorized - was why it'd been disappearing in the first place. Somehow, the park had been tied to Gaster; by what means, you weren't sure. Perhaps the doctor had done it by mistake, but…

...something made you uneasy.

"Hey, Gaster?" you mustered up your voice. "You said this one just… formed. Does it feel like the others?"

"No."

"How do you feel?"

He breathes in deeply. "Exhausted. That experience hurt, quite… a lot. But. I feel more… here."

"Not like something is missing?"

"I… no?" He looks at where your hand is resting, finally starting to piece things together. "Is something strange?"

You licked your lips, thinking. "Walk with me," you say, beginning to shuffle to the side, keeping a hand on the strange, foreign presence, pulling … whatever it is, out of Gaster. He followed you obediently, still keeping an arm around you. You could hear his breathing quicken once more with pain.

"Is… this - I… I feel like something is being pulled out of me," he looked at you at this, mouth tight. "Is - is that fine?"

You swallow. "Yeah, well, that's basically what's happening. It's fine," you lied smoothly. You weren't really sure what this was going to do - other than it felt like it had to be done. Whatever it was, you didn't want to put it back into him.

You'd only walked a few paces when you managed to fully extract the line from Gaster's side. It came out with a somewhat ugly sounding _squish,_ and, despite knowing that monsters didn't bleed, you half-expected to see crimson anyway. You didn't, luckily. You weren't sure you'd be able to keep it together if you did.

(Blood was very deceptive, after all.)

"Okay," you murmured, dropping the tendril letting the experience finally take its toll. You felt empty, and you probably could fall asleep right here, right now. Even so, realizing that so much of your weight was against him, you pull away a little. You shouldn't appear so weak. To cover it up, you smiled up at him. "Done."

"That… amazing. I have no idea what you just did, but I - I feel… Well, actually, I sort of want to sleep for a week, but after that I think I'll feel amazing. Comparatively."

"Hah. I understand." You massage your temple, focusing on the warmth of the sun curling in your stomach. Strength, perseverance, glory.

His hand still lightly lingered on your waist. Noticing your glance down at it, he flinched, pulling it back quickly and brushing himself off. "Ahem. I. Apologize, I wasn't, ah, I wasn't, I mean, ahh…"

The way his face turned so _delightfully_ grey in what you assumed must be a blush amused you, but you couldn't focus on it for long. You could feel something dripping in between your fingers, dark and murky, and then - and then, it reached, sliding up your wrist. You brought up your hand, staring at the sludge, and then looked around quickly.

Nearby, the stray thorn, that out of place tube had morphed into some sort of dark material, and - before you released it - it'd left some imprint on the warmth of your skin. Now, it spread, a dark mire swirling up around your feet. Something had changed, a chill prickling across your skin. The world had gotten a bit _greyer_ , all around.

"Um," you breathed out, staring.

"What? What's - " he looked down, noticing the growing dark. "Oh. This is new."

 _Fzzzzt._

"Ah. We. We need to leave," you said with absolute certainty, turning quickly. As you step, there's a frightful squelching sound.

The air smelled of blood.

"How do we…?"

"I need a door. Or, or a passageway, or - a connection to the real world. Some sort of - symbol of transportation. Or, um, oh, popcorn."

"You... need popcorn?"

You rustled around in your bag, looking desperately for something to combat the malice rising up to your ankles. "No! I'm swearing! Oh, poppies, what is this? Do you smell that?"

"Smell… what?"

"It's suffocating," your murmured, finding a silver dime among your things. You pressed it between your hands, breathing on it, and then dropped it into the pit.

It was swallowed without hesitation.

 _How far you go to satisfy your beastly curiosity…_

(And with that voice, the taste of blood lingered in your mouth.)

You coughed into your elbow, looking up at Gaster. "I - "

" - Would it be easier for you to leave without me? It would, wouldn't it? Please, go! You've done… so much for me, already. You should leave me." He placed his hands on your shoulder, shoving you away. "Please, please go. Please!"

The black rose, and the world got darker. Darker, darker, yet darker, and it sang to you. It sang to you both, given how forcefully he was trying to force you to leave him in despair. This -

\- was this what had tried to drag Melbourne Park into obscurity?

You scrambled into your pocket, grabbing the lighter with a shaky hand. You needed light. You needed hope. You needed -

For someone to call your name, and you could feel it, in your heart. Someone wanted you home. "Many-Names," you whispered, eyes going wide. Gaster was still begging you to leave him behind. To be honest, you'd sort of tuned him out. Turning sharply, you reached out, throwing your arms around his neck.

"You deserve to liii-ehh?" he choked a bit, gasping.

"Hold on!" He didn't obey, at first, until you shouted at him, "Tight!"

Throwing your weight down, you dragged Gaster into a fall. It was one of the most basic forms of transition - a fall. Like Alice going down the rabbit hole, slipping into another world. Not realizing what was happening, Gaster made a high-pitched sound of alarm, holding on tightly to you. You close your eyes, and behind his head, you click the lighter open.

The flame burned bright in the darkest dark. It burned behind your eyes, and in your heart, and you followed the sound of someone screaming your name.

"TWO-BIT YOU FUCKING IDIOT, I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE FUCKING LISTENING, I AM GOING TO END YOU."

You felt the warm sun. You felt the humid air. You heard the sound of cars, of birds, and of your fellow magician screaming obscenities at you.

And you felt pain.

And you felt incomprehensible pain.

Someone was cradling your body, and you cracked your eyes open, slightly, looking blearily up at the terrified face of Gaster, now framed by a heartrendingly blue sky. He'd kept holding onto you, even as you'd struck the pavement, and from how he was cupping your head, he seemed to have kept your skull from striking the concrete. That wasn't where it hurt.

It hurt in your stomach, in your chest, in your throat. Like - you'd skidded across the unsmoothed street, pebbles stripping at your skin, but it was your insides burning and bubbling. You'd been used as a line back to reality, you figured dimly, and it'd cost you. You were being spoken to, but the sound was dimmed.

And you could still smell it, that blood, curling around you. Something darker than the pitchest black night. And you could taste it to your mouth, and you turned your face to the side, coughing violently again. Flecks of crimson dotted the sidewalk, more coming as you hack. The taste was sweet, and you desperately mumbled through it, "I deny it - in the light of the sacred."

Many-Names dropped to their knees by you, patting at your face. "What happened?" they hissed at Gaster, wiping at the blood surrounding your mouth as they did so.

"I - there was, something… something dark, then they dragged me down, and - "

"I deny the blood," you pleaded, closing your eyes once more. "And with it, violence."

"W-what?"

"Crap," Many-Names smacked your cheek lightly. "Stay awake, you - fucking dolt. Piss - look, you. Stay with them. I'm going to get a cab; they need treatment."

"Wh- are, are they going to be alright? Please, tell me they're going to be alright!"

"They'll be fine," Many-Names replied, and if you were fully conscious, you probably would have called them out on the lie.

As it stood, all you said was, "..To stave off the world's execution..."


End file.
